Storage battery.



W. A. CROWDUS.

STORAGE BATTERY- APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7, I914.

1.15 Patented Sept. 28, 1915. 9 a 2 $HEETSHEET I. .6

W. A. CROWDUS.

STORAGE BATTERY.

APPLICAHON FILED MAR. 7, 1914.

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Patented Sept. 28, 19l5.

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WALTER A. CROWDUS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- MENTZER &COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATI HALF TO ATKINSON, 0N OFILLINOIS.

i STORAGE BATTERY.

1 1,155,041 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

Application filed March 7, 1914. Serial No. 82

To (zZZ Mm m it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER A. CRowDUs,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of at points, corresp they extend fro the edge-portio asprojections. extend at interval onding with those at which in theside-members, to leave ns of the vertical bars also These cross-bars,which Illinois, have invented a new and useful Im s along the oppositefaces y staggered, as 7, and form pocke material, or maof the grid, aremost clearly shown ets for confining th terial to be rendered activ Thetransfusion neede in which the liquid electrolyte is rendered 7afiuidic, or non-flowing, by holding it absorbed, or in suspension, in apaste or jelly, which is known in the art as dry, jelly, or solidelectrolyte. The advantages sought to be attained by this type ofbattery, but which are only very imperfectly attained thereby, are thoseof providing a free circulation of the electrolyte in a non-spillingcondition in an absorbent between the battery-elements, and preventingwashing away and loss of active material and resultant diminution of thecapacity of the cell. By my improvement, these and other advantages areperfectly attained.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a section of my improvedstorage-battery on line 1, Fig. 2, showing part of one grid unfilledwith active material, or material to be rendered active, and some of theabsorbont filler; Fig. 2 is a section on line 2, Fig. 1; Fig; 3 is a topplan view of the battery; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the upper perforatedcovering-plate, and Fig. 5 is a similar view of the bottom plate; Fig. 6is an enlarged section on line 6, Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a similar, butbroken section on line 7, Fig. 1, and Fig. 8 is a broken perspectiveview of one of the similar spacers used for locking the grids in theirspaced relation.

The jar 9 is made of any suitable material (usually hard rubber). Thepreferred construction of the gridlO," which may best be made of lead oran alloy of lead and antimony, comprises a frame having its uppernnembers connected by vertical bars'll of the same width astheside-members of the frame, which are connected by cross-bars 12extending from points between their edges to leave the edge-portions asprojections;

d during the diseakened acid next rids, requires, as I granularstructure which is the equivalent of large capacity; and this found, cannot h the requ e or paste-like fill gh coarse sand, ubstances whichcharge to restore the w the material 1 have found, a of absorbentfiller, a coarse filter of transfusion, as I 3 on the g through jel1ylileven throu umice, tripoli,

provement I use as the absorbent filler, a nd screened to a size, clmore suitable for the t chemically to so alter y removing its as torender it acid in theeleev of any usual or This material when as afiller in the batcribed, of absorbing 90 per cent. of the apacity of theliquid electrot of maintaining the same even on heavy onging the life,9, this filler berids provided with the ids are stably held apart drelation and. insulated by means of spacing bars am shape and made ofinmaterial, such as hard rubber.

bars between the adjac of coincident vertical bars these projectionsenter posite sides of the bars, ce the grids apart but 100 For mypresent im preferred material f wood ground a and which is renderepurpose by treating i its organic composi contained acids resistant toinjur trolyte, which is a solution desired composition. dried has theproperty, tery as hereinafter des and holding more than total solution-clyte, and tha voltage-curve y from the and capacity h rges, thus greatlyprol battery. For confinin tween the batter material 13, the gr insuitably space from each other 14 of general I-be projecting edges 11 onadjacent the grooves in the op which not only spa and these cross-barsintersect the bars 11 v in their spaced relation. The space. betweeneach pair ofgrids is thus divided by'the bars 14 into separatedsections; and I introduce my granulated absorbent filler 16 into thesespaces in a dry and shrunken condition and in quantityslniicient tocompletely fill them and extend to some-height over the upper ing atintervals with water.

consequence of ment of the filler. solution is poured into the cell, itis quickly edges of the grids. with a perforated sheet 17 of insulatingmaterial, such as hard rubber, which fits within the mouth of thejar toprevent displace- When the electrolyte absorbed by the filler, slightlyswelling the latter and causing it to expand into ,close and cushioningcontact with the opposing gridsurfaces and material 13 thereon andprevent washing, loosening and dislodgment ofthe latter, therebyprolonging the capacity and life of the battery-elements.

While my absorbent filler carries anexceptionally great amount of theelectrolyte solution, it nevertheless requires, the same as does anordinary wet battery,.replenish- To avoid the neglecting thereplenishment, when needed, I use the space in the bottom of the jar,containing the usual mud-bridges 18' (Fig. 1), upon which the gridsseat, as a I reservoir for holding a surplus of the soluby capillaryattractiontion to be drawn up into the body of the filler, for thispurpose providingia union with the fi-ller'by packing a quantity thereofin the spaces between the bridges 18 and the jar-walls, whichcommunicate with the reservoir through openings in the bases of thebridges, as shown in Fig. 1. To separate the body of the filler fromthis reservoir-space, an imperforate sheet 19 of hard rubber, or othersuitable insulating material, is interposed, which covers only the spacebetween'the mud-bridges.

The capillary action, referred to, takes place' whenever the quantity of.solution in the body of the filler falls below that required forsaturating it.

I alsoprovide a tell-tale well, or indicating tube 20, to extend fromthe top of the filler centrally through the uppercovering-plate 17. Whenthe battery is being charged and reaches the gassing stage, the volumeof the solution increases, the same as it does'in' ordinary wetbatteries. Under perfect conditions, when gassing while charging, somefree should show in the well; and this may be conveniently withdrawn, atany time,'for use in testing the specific gravity'of the electrolyte. Asthe filler, which is highly capillary, gets below the point ofsaturation,

it will absorb reservoir to the point of saturation. The tell-tale well20 serves to indicate the condi- I then cover the gridselectrolyte-solution any free liquid in the lower.

I in the absorbing filler; and whenever the well is the battery needsreplenishing with water. y

improved battery has, undec (11S- chargc, all thecharacteristi'cs of thecirculating liquid-electrolyte type, with the ad'- vantage that thesolution is renderednonspilling and-that of giving longer service byreason the absorbent filler preventing the loss of active material fromthe grids; and, besides, since the solution is, in a measure, confinedinthe absorbent filler, it sprays loss, under. charge, than in the cellswhere the liquid elebtrolyte is free, so that the loss of Water fromgassing is less.

My absorbent filler, morovcr, is much superior to pastes or jellies, asheretofore used in the art, because they are injuriously affected byacids and oxidants in the cell,-

are insufliciently porous to permit the necessary circulation throughthem, and are so high in resistance and in their content of inert solidmatter, as to produce heating effects resulting in destructive dryingand shrinking of the mass, with rapid falling ed in capacity and earlytotal uselessness.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In astorage-battery of the character described, grids carrying'the activematerial,

or material to be rendered active, insulating grooved bars spacing thegrids apart and interlocking them in their spaced relation, 3. filler ofground wood, substantially devoid of gums and acids, in the spacesbetween grids, anda liquid electrolyte absorbed in said fillerandoperating to swell the latter and tighten it in the spaces against thegrid-- surfaces to lock said material against dislodgment.

2. In a storage-battery of the characterdescribed, grids carrying theactive material, or material to be rendered active, and having verticalribs projecting on the opposing grid-faces, and grooved insulating barsinto the grooves of which the opposite ribs extend to space the gridsapart and interloclrthem in their spaced relation.

3. In a storage-battery of the character described, grids carrying theactive material, or material to be rendered active, and having verticalribs projecting on the opposing grid-faces, insulating bars of generalI-beam shape into the grooves of which the opposite ribs extend to spacethe grids. apart and interlock them in their spaced relation, said.barsdividing the spaces between grids I into sections, and a filler ofcoarsely-ground wood, substantially devoid of gums and found to beempty, that condition shows that bridges in its bottom forming areservoir, lary union with the filler above it in said grids1 carlrying({Jhe (ilctive material, or mzti spaces. teria to e ren ere active,seatin on sai bridges, a plate of insulating material cover- WALTERCROWDUS' .5 ing said reservoir, absorbent filler in the In presence ofspaces between grids, and a similar filler at A. C. FISCHER, the outersides of said bridges having capil- O. C. AvIsUs.

